Did You Hear About the Morgans?
| Did You Hear About the Morgans? | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Marc Lawrence |
| Written by | Marc Lawrence |
| Produced by | Martin Shafer Liz Glotzer |
| Starring | Hugh Grant Sarah Jessica Parker Sam Elliott Mary Steenburgen Elisabeth Moss Wilford Brimley |
| Cinematography | Florian Ballhaus |
| Edited by | Susan E. Morse |
| Music by | Theodore Shapiro |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date | December 18, 2009 |
Running time | 103 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Ukrainian |
| Budget | $58 million[2] |
| Box office | $85,279,090[2] |
Did You Hear About the Morgans? is a 2009 American comedy film directed and written by Marc Lawrence. Golden Globe winners Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker portray the film's protagonists, Paul and Meryl Morgan, a recently separated New York power couple on the verge of divorce until they witness the murder of Meryl's client. They are forced to enter into temporary witness protection, given new identities, and relocated to a small Wyoming town. Supporting roles are played by Sam Elliott, Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen, Elisabeth Moss, and Wilford Brimley.
The film premiered in New York on December 14, 2009 and in London the following day. It was released to the United States on December 18 and to most of Europe in January 2010. It received mostly negative reviews from critics. Compiled ratings from the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an average rating of 3.5 out of 10. The film grossed $6,616,571 in its opening weekend and has earned $25,693,886 in the United States as of January 5, 2010. Did You Hear About the Morgans? was the 106th most successful film worldwide for 2009.
Plot
A successful Manhattan couple, lawyer Paul Michael Morgan (Hugh Grant) and real estate agent Meryl Judith Morgan (née Becker) (Sarah Jessica Parker) are separated because of Paul's infidelity and an affair he recently had. But they are thrust together when they witness a murder and become targets of a contract killer.
Federal marshals whisk the Morgans away from their beloved New York to tiny Ray, Wyoming (a fictional community), where they are temporarily put in the custody of the Wheelers (Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen), a married couple who are U.S. Marshals. They use the assumed names of Meryl and Paul Foster, who are visiting their cousins, the Wheelers. While adjusting to Ray, Paul tries rekindling their marriage. Meanwhile, in New York, the killer is still after them and has found out where they are through Meryl's assistant. When Paul gets bear repellent sprayed in his eyes, he is taken to the only doctor in town, whose number the murderer intercepts.
Paul and Meryl go on a "date" in town and begin to reconcile, but then Paul is alienated when he learns that Meryl had had an affair while they were separated. The next day, with the killer in town, the Morgans anticipate leaving Ray for a permanent hiding place. The Wheelers invite them to a rodeo, but the Morgans are quarreling so they decline. Leaving the Morgans without any form of security, the Wheelers leave for the rodeo. The killer attacks the house, but the Morgans are able to sneak out. Fleeing to the rodeo, they hide in a bull suit and accidentally frighten a live bull into head-butting them. Meryl, unable to walk, stays hidden from the killer while Paul confronts him unarmed. But he is rescued by Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler and his new friends from the town.
6 months later, Paul and Meryl are still married having just adopted a baby girl from China, whom they name Rae after Ray, Wyoming, and Meryl is pregnant with a child of their own.
Cast
- Hugh Grant as Paul Michael Morgan
- Sarah Jessica Parker as Meryl Judith Morgan (née Becker)
- Sam Elliott as Clay Wheeler
- Mary Steenburgen as Emma Wheeler
- Elisabeth Moss as Jackie Drake
- Wilfred Brimley as Earl Granger
- Dana Ivey as Trish Pinger
- Sharon Wilkins as U.S. Marshal King
- Steven Boyer as U.S. Marshal Ferber
- Kevin Brown as U.S. Marshal Henderson
- Seth Gilliam as U.S. Marshal Lasky
- Kim Shaw as Nurse Kelly
- David Call as Doc D. Simmons
- Beth Fowler as Ma Simmons
- Jesse Liebman as Adam Feller
- Mandy Jo Moore as Dancer
- Gracie Bea Lawrence as Lucy Granger
Production
Filming for Did You Hear About the Morgans took place over 25 days in May and June in 2009. The film was shot in New York City, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Roy, New Mexico.[citation needed]
Reception
The film has received mostly negative reviews. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, reported that reviews were "generally unfavorable", with an average score of 26 based on 25 reviews.[3] As of December 20, 2009, 13% of 67 critics listed by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes had given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 3.3/10.[4] The site also reported that 6% of selected notable critics gave it a positive write-up, based on a sample of 16.[5]
Box office
In its first opening weekend, the film opened at #4 in the U.S. Box office raking in $6,616,571 USD.
Home release
Did You Hear About the Morgans? was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 16, 2010.[6]
The DVD features:
- Audio commentary with director Lawrence, and stars Grant and Parker
- 5 featurettes
- Deleted scenes
- Outtakes
References
- ^ "Did You Hear About the Morgans?". Variety.com. By John Anderson. 2009-12-15.
- ^ a b "Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- ^ "Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
- ^ "Did You Hear About the Morgans?". IGN Entertainment, Inc. Rotten Tomatoes. 2009-12-20.
- ^ "Did You Hear About the Morgans? Reviews: Top Critics". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
- ^ http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/did-you-hear-about-the-morgans.html